


Here's to a Good Year

by SloanGreyMercyDeath



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Pure fluff really, just a cute little new year's thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28470963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SloanGreyMercyDeath/pseuds/SloanGreyMercyDeath
Summary: Emily's First NYE With The Team
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 3
Kudos: 68





	Here's to a Good Year

Emily looked around the bullpen, wondering if anyone was going to mention that it was new year’s eve. They’d come in to work at their normal 8am and spent the day catching up on paperwork. It wasn’t a heavy work day, but no one was really celebrating. It was her first new year’s with the team and she’d only been with them for a few months, so she didn’t know what they usually did.

She’d honestly expected them to be given the day off. Most of the other government offices were closed. As they’d left the day before, the entire team had said “see you tomorrow” and Emily didn’t want to be the only one who didn’t show up. She was glad to have made the right call.

Even if she’d had the day off, she didn’t have any plans. She would have slept until noon, putzed around until 9, been drunk by 10 and then found a woman to kiss by midnight. That’s what she’d done the last few years. At least this year she was doing something productive.

At about 11:30pm, the attitude in the room suddenly shifted. Derek slammed his case file shut. Spencer pulled his suit jacket off. Hotch walked out of his office toward the briefing room. Gideon left his office and the building altogether.

“Um,” Emily looked around, confused. “What just happened?”

“Don’t you know it’s New Year’s Eve, Princess?” Derek asked her with a grin. “Lighten up! We can’t work all night.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “But we have been working all night...”

“Until now!”

Jumping to his feet, Spencer grinned down at Emily. “Come on! Let’s see what flavor cake JJ chose!”

At the mention of the Media Liaison, Emily stood. Any party (?) that JJ was going to attend was good enough for her. She followed the other two profilers toward the conference room.

“So, what kind of thing is this?” she asked them, peering around Derek’s back to try and spot JJ through the blinds. “Are we counting down and going back to work? Or is this a party all night rager?”

Chuckling, Derek threw an arm around her shoulders. “Little bit of both, Prentiss.”

“Those are incompatible.”

“What he means,” Spencer said, “is that we’ll have our first drink here at the countdown, get organized, and then go to Penelope’s.”

“Where it’s a rager,” Derek finished. He laughed at the surprise on Emily’s face. “We work all day on the 31st, so we can sleep off our hangovers in the new year.”

Emily laughed. She couldn’t fault that logic. She wished she’d worn something more comfortable to work if she was going to be getting trashed, but she could probably steal something from Penelope later. As they walked into the conference room, Derek took his arm away and she hung back by the entrance.

Everyone was mingling and talking easily, but she wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t really know anyone well enough to make small talk and this wasn’t really the atmosphere to bring up a murder. A plate with a piece of red velvet cake appeared in front of her.

Looking up, Emily met JJ’s blue eyes. The blonde woman had brought her a piece of cake. Emily took it with a grin, being careful not to knock the plastic fork off.

“Thanks!”

“Of course,” JJ replied cheerfully. She watched Emily take a bite and smiled. “Red velvet is your favorite right?”

Blushing, Emily nodded. “Yeah, how did you know that?”

“I can profile, too,” JJ whispered, leaning in and winking. “Don’t tell the others.”

“It’s our secret.”

The women smiled at each other and Emily felt herself relax. JJ was always easy to talk to, and she was the nicest person on the team. Emily was happy that they were becoming friends.

They talked quietly as the countdown of the tv went down. Emily wondered if it’d be too forward to ask JJ to attend a private rager at Emily’s apartment. It probably was.

“Five minutes!” Derek said loudly with a whoop. “Where’s- there’s my babygirl!”

Penelope hurried into the conference room with a bottle of tequila and a stack of paper cups. “Sorry! I got caught up with a- Well, nevermind!”

JJ put a hand on Emily’s arm and nodded to her plate. “Are you done?”

“I am,” Emily confirmed, lifting the empty plate. “Drinks time?”

“Drinks time,” JJ repeated with a chuckle.

They went to the table and put their plates down. Penelope quickly filled all the paper cups and the team passed them around. By the time there was one minute left, everyone had their shots. Spencer started for them, but JJ quickly put her arm around Emily’s waist.

“Sorry, Spence,” JJ said, pouting. “Emily already claimed me.”

He nodded and looked at Hotch. “A hug?”

“Only a hug,” was the muttered response.

Emily realized that Derek and Penelope were standing together, too, and that the clock was dangerously close to midnight. JJ tapped their paper cups together. When Emily looked at her, she saw that JJ’s cheeks were pink.

“I hope this is ok,” JJ said quietly. “I should have asked.”

“Asked what?”

“If I could be your New Year’s kiss.”

Emily’s cheeks turned a dark red at the thought and JJ started to pull away. The clock struck midnight and Emily acted without thinking. She cupped the back of JJ’s neck and pulled her close, kissing her deeply.

After a moment, she remembered where they were and pulled away. JJ looked a bit dazed, but a smile quickly spread across her face. They grinned at each other for a second, before the team’s voices caught up to them.

“Come on!!” Derek and Hotch were calling.

Emily saw JJ blink and looked away. The rest of the team was waving their shots impatiently. Untangling themselves, JJ and Emily moved to the table and held their cups up, too.

The team counted to three and took their shots, starting the new year on a high note. Slamming their cups down on the table, everyone cheered and shivered and laughed. Emily felt the tequila race through her, but another feeling caught her attention, too.

JJ wrapped a hand around Emily’s bicep and leaned a head on her shoulder. As Spencer babbled excitedly about the history of kegs, Derek and Penelope took another shot, and Hotch headed back to his office, Emily felt something new. She felt hopeful. It was going to be a good year. She just knew it.


End file.
